Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

There was an outbreak of rejoicing in the Rimmer household when the news reached us that husband and wife duo Scott and Christine Dente had embarked in the making of a new Out Of The Grey album after 14 years of near silence. I say near silence because they have released some projects as a duo in Christine's name but in an age when record companies are reluctant to support artistry in favour of endless worship releases, the landscape of music making becomes very challenging. Thankfully enough people appreciated their label releases to be interested in crowd sourcing a "comeback" album. In the '90s the duo managed to pull off a series of albums that were perfect pop with intelligent songwriting and accomplished production and seemingly endless hooks that embedded themselves in the listeners' soul. I had very high hopes for this return. I am happy to say I wasn't disappointed. The pop sensibilities are still in place though the energy levels are less frenetic than previous releases which suits me just fine. None of us are sweet young things anymore and this is a poignant, reflective and thoughtful pop album. Although the couple are residents in the Nashville area, this album has more of a Nashville feel than previous records where the local country flavours have added an extra sound underpinning the record. And it really works. I have spent the last couple of weeks making friends with 'A Little Light Left' and it's worth the time because repeated listening has rewarded me as the album's hidden charms have revealed themselves. This is a grown up record with songs that are born out of life's bittersweet experiences. Scott and Christine are singing from real joys and challenges and sharing the journey. My favourites include "Giving Up Slow" which describes the deepening of a relationship with God and the realisation that there is a great deal of security to be discovered if we learn to trust. "Bubble Girl" is a delicious piece of acoustic pop that captures the moment when young adult children want to escape from home and begin finding their way in the world. One joy of this release is the fact there are a couple of songs where Scott takes the lead vocals. I am glad we hear more of his voice than usual even when you have a world class singer like Christine on the record. "Speak" feels like a further instalment in the journey that started with "He Is Not Silent". I love the vibe captured on "Dropped Off" with its rockabilly guitar tones and once again Scott's vocal. Songs like the title cut and "Hard To Die" once again emphasise the quality of the songwriting on the album where the duo write intelligent songs about spiritual and relational matters without spoon feeding the listener with all the answers. Instead this is mature artistry that allows us a glimpse at the journey as we listen and learn from poignant, beautiful songs that gently nudge us towards a richer life. Sometimes the best Christian music invites us to ponder rather than smacking our heads with easy answers. If you've been yearning for music with more depth than your average Christian hit song on the radio, do your soul a favour and download this.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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